demonstrative

[ duh-mon-struh-tiv ]
See synonyms for demonstrative on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. characterized by or given to open exhibition or expression of one's emotions, attitudes, etc., especially of love or affection: She wished her fiancé were more demonstrative.

  2. serving to demonstrate; explanatory or illustrative.

  1. serving to prove the truth of anything; indubitably conclusive.

  2. Grammar. indicating or singling out the thing referred to. This is a demonstrative pronoun.

noun
  1. Grammar. a demonstrative word, as this or there.

Origin of demonstrative

1
1350–1400; Middle English demonstratif (<Middle French ) <Latin dēmonstrātīvus, equivalent to dēmonstrāt(us) (see demonstrate) + -īvus-ive

Other words from demonstrative

  • de·mon·stra·tive·ly, adverb
  • de·mon·stra·tive·ness, noun
  • non·de·mon·stra·tive, adjective
  • non·de·mon·stra·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·de·mon·stra·tive·ness, noun
  • pre·de·mon·stra·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use demonstrative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for demonstrative

demonstrative

/ (dɪˈmɒnstrətɪv) /


adjective
  1. tending to manifest or express one's feelings easily or unreservedly

  2. (postpositive foll by of) serving as proof; indicative

  1. involving or characterized by demonstration: a demonstrative lecture

  2. conclusive; indubitable: demonstrative arguments

  3. grammar denoting or belonging to a class of determiners used to point out the individual referent or referents intended, such as this, that, these, and those: Compare interrogative, relative

noun
  1. grammar a demonstrative word or construction

Derived forms of demonstrative

  • demonstratively, adverb
  • demonstrativeness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012